(Joliet, Illinois) The Holy Cross men's basketball team was in action Tuesday night against the Fighting Saints of the University of St. Francis. USF came into the contest (9-7) after a close loss to Olivet Nazarene last week.

Holy Cross entered the game with a record of (7-11) but were (5-3) in their last 8 games.

The Fighting Saints took control of the game first, scoring early and often to take the lead against the Saints. USF looked as if it was going to take a large lead, but Holy Cross made a game of it early, as Michael VanderPloeg (Kalamazoo, Michigan) made a lay-up to make the game a two-point contest, 26-24, at the 6:55 mark of the first half.

The Saints were playing catch-up for most of the first half, however, as USF took a 9-point lead into halftime, and continued to build its lead during the second period. VanderPloeg again would make two free-throws to bring Holy Cross within 13 points late in the second half, but that was as close as Holy Cross came all night, falling 90-65.

Coach Schermerhorn stated after the game that it was not poor shooting that doomed his men, "I felt like we shot okay, but we got outmuscled a bit by their guys. We need to play tougher and more physical if we expect to win these games."

Holy Cross shot 46% from the field in the game, including 50% in the first half, but they did not have enough shot attempts, which ultimately lead to the loss. Holy Cross made 46% of their 56 shots, while USF made 46% of their 67 attempts.